Of Hawks and Spiders
by Lexasaurusrex
Summary: There was a boy, and there was a girl. Sadly, it was a bit more complicated than that. Of Hawks and Spiders is a collection of oneshots revolving around Clint and Natasha.
1. Of Trying to Stay Focused

"Remind me why we're out here." Clint moaned, pulling the fur parka closer to him. Natasha glanced at her partner and chuckled.

"Because we're searching for a missing SHIELD officer, just like the file said." She handed him a hand warmer, which he stuck down his shirt. Natasha quirked an eyebrow at her partner and smirked.

"Really Barton? It isn't that cold."

"Says you. You were born in this type of weather." Clint huffed, his eyes widening at the breath that escaped his mouth in steam. She laughed at his expression and moved closer to him, tucking herself under the large coat.

"You're such a drama queen, Barton. I would think your skin would be thicker by now." She murmured, tucking her face into his neck. She felt him relax slightly against her.

"Stop it, Tasha. I'm trying to be mad at you. Having you cuddle up against me is hindering my ability to do so."

"You could never really be mad at me. It's not in your nature." She smiled into his neck before placing a kiss there.

"Well, I can still be mad about the situation we're in." He replied, finally wrapping his arms around her wait. She smiled, knowing he had given up.

"There isn't much we can do Clint. We complete what we were sent here to do." She raided his hands to her mouth and blew into them.

"We could just leave. There is always that option."

"That is never an option, Clint. You know that as well as I do. We just have to make this best of the situation at hand until we finish."  
Clint groaned and buried his face in her hair, eliciting a few small giggles from her.

"Sorry Clint, but we have a job to do."

"I can think of at least three other things I would rather be doing with you." Natasha's eyes narrowed, and she frowned.

"You shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that right now. We are working"

"We could be quick Tasha." Clint smirked, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Clint, even though your idea sounds nice, need I remind you. We. Are. Working." He frowned, and pulled her into his lap. She eyed him silently. He eyed her back, smiling.

"C'mon Tasha. Real quick." He moaned.

"Clint, with you it is never 'real quick'. The answer is a 'no'." Clint rolled his head back in great exaggeration, and groaned.

"Taaasha, please."

"When we're done."


	2. Of a Day at the Museum

"Let's take a day off." His voice woke her up from her slumber. She raised her head off of his chest, her hair sticking up in every direction, framing her face like a flaming halo.

"What?" She mumbled, half asleep, as she rubbed her eyes.

"We should take the day off." She looked at him for a few moments before chuckling.

"You're joking right? We're SHIELD agents, we don't get 'day's off'." She put her head back down on his chest. She purred quietly as he ran his callused fingertips up and down her back.

"We should go to the MET. You know, for as long as I have been living in New York, I've never been there. We should go." Natasha lifted her head and looked Clint dead in the eyes.

"You're really serious?" Her eyebrow quirked upward as she asked the question. She couldn't help but smile as he nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Alright then. Go get ready."

_Women in the Garden_, Monet

They both stared at the painting in front of them for a few minutes without speaking.

"She kinda looks like you." Clint said, his eyes still on the painting. She eyed her partner.

"Clint, you're kidding right? You can't even see her face! The only similarity is her red hair!" Natasha exclaimed. He shrugged his shoulders at her and smiled.

"I dunno. Something about it reminds me of you."

_Imperial Napoleonic Egg_, House of Fabergé

"Why are we taking so long to look at an egg?"

"Because I want to."

_A Rose_, Anshutz

"What do you think of this one, Tasha?" She stared at the painting before her and smiled. Just like most of the paintings they had already seen, it was of a young women, relaxing in an armchair. The bored expression on the girl's face amused her, and her closed lip smile turned into a grin.

"I like it. I think it's my favorite so far." He nodded in agreement with her.

"Yeah, mine too."

"Clint, you've said that about all the paintings."

_Madame X_, Sargent

"Okay, you can't deny that this one looks somewhat like you."

No, She wouldn't. The painting did have something about it that reminded her of herself. Although the features of the woman were nothing similar to her face, it was the way that the woman held herself that made Natasha see the resemblance.

"We should get a print of this one Clint." She said to her partner, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him smile.

She didn't care that Fury had been furious with them when they returned the next day. It had been worth it. Even if her and Clint resented doing paperwork, she wouldn't have changed her decision to go to the museum with her Partner. She didn't care that they were both a little tense due to their probation.

The only thing she cared about was the new print hanging in their living room, and that he had been the one to show it to her.


	3. Of Dreams

In her dreams, she was back in Russia. She always seemed to be in Russia. It was her homeland, so of course it would make sense to dream about it. But no, she hated that place with all of her strength. She refused to ever go back there, unless forced to by SHIELD.

The dreams that usually took place in Russia were nightmares, but this one wasn't. Surprisingly, it was of something pleasant. In this dream, no, a memory, in this memory, she was being saved. Saved when she didn't know she needed to be saved. She had been strong for so long, and had been working alone since separating from the Red Room. She knew James was out there hunting her, and luckily she had managed to evade him for that long, but she was still running.

Until she was stopped dead in her tracks. Caught by an American agent with ocean blue eyes and a cocky smirk that, at the time, made her blood boil. Caught mid-mission by a man who held a gun to her back and then whispered softly in her ear. When he forced her away from the spot where her target was, all while chatting about what he had read in her file, she realized something.

She was tired. Of everything, really. She was tired of the bloody work she did, tired of having to change hotel rooms every other day. She was exhausted. She could have taken the American down in one move, sure, but she was tired of fighting. She decided that it would be better to have a stranger kill her in the end.

And when she expected a bullet through her head, it didn't come. In its place was an invitation. To join him, this American, and the organization that he worked for.

"Are you insane?" She had said after staring at him with wide eyes.

"No, I just think that you're worth it." He smirked and she frowned.

"How the hell would you know what I'm worth?"

"Let's just say I'm a good judge of character."


	4. Of Running Away

"Tasha, come back here!" He was right behind her, following her as she ran.

"No, Barton! We are not having this conversation! Not here, not now, not ever!" She shouted over her shoulder. He was too close, so she sped up to a full sprint. She wouldn't face him.

"Damn it, Tasha! Slow down!"

"Back off, Barton!" She shouted again, and turned the corner. She could hear him getting closer, and she was running out of places to hide. Quickly, she ducked into a closet off of the hallway, and shut herself inside of it. He came running by it a few seconds later, and skidded to a stop in front of the closet. _Damn it_, she thought, _so much for hiding from him_.

He bent down and stared through the slots in the door. Silently, she pushed herself closer to the back of the closet. This was what she was reduced to. Her, a top assassin for SHIELD, running away from her partner, the man she loved and trusted with her life, all because of a silly conversation.

"Go away, Barton." Natasha said, her voice deadpan.

"Tasha, do you know how silly this looks?"

"I don't care, Barton. Get lost."

"I'm not leaving till you speak with me." He sat down cross-legged, and stared at her through the door. His gaze was like ice, and made her normally cold blood freeze. His face was set in stone, and she knew he wasn't going to be leaving till she spoke to him.

"What do you want Barton?"

"I want you to look at me."

"I am." Natasha replied quietly.

"Through a door, Tasha. That isn't the same as face to face."

"Maybe I don't want to look at you." She could head him sigh. She bit her lip. She hated hurting him, but in this situation, it was for the best.

"You can't run away from this. You can't run away from me."

"Barton, I have running my whole life. What in the hell makes you think I won't run from you?" She growled, desperately hoping he would just leave. He stayed quiet for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Because I know you would never do that to me." He said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. He sounded so broken, her normally chipper and sarcastic Hawkeye. Him sounding broken in return broke her. A small sob racked her body, and she buried her face in her hands. It killed her to know that her actions had such an effect on him. For her whole life, she didn't have to worry about the consequences of what she said. But things were different now, now that she had him.

"Tasha, let me in."

"I...never locked...the door." She mumbled between silent sobs.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" He said as he opened the door and sat down in front of her. She didn't remove her face from her hands, but she could feel him close to her. He put his hands on hers and lifted her face up so she was looking at him.

"It didn't matter." She whispered, her tears finally coming to a stop.

"Natasha, listen to me. It will always matter."


	5. Of Playful Insults

"Stop squirming, you baby! You'll rip the stitches!" She growled as she sat on her partner's chest. With her left hand she held his wound closed, while the right held a bloody needle. Blood stained her fingertips, and the surrounding area.

"I'm not trying to, Baba Yaga."

"Baba Yaga was an old maid, not a spy." She said. She drew the needle through his flesh again, and felt him wince beneath her.

"Whatever, you're both Russian." He twitched away from her, and she slapped him gently on the cheek.

"So, would you still have fallen in love with me if I was an old maid?" Her eyebrow quirked upward, and a smirk threatened to crawl across her lips. She watched as a blank look covered his face, and she couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh.

"Tasha, you know what I meant." He winced as she pulled the needle through once more, and then tied it off. She lowered her head down and bit the string off, leaving only the knot.

"Yes, I know what you meant. I just like to watch you squirm." She smiled at him and leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips.

"You enjoy making people suffer, don't you?" He mumbled as he sat up, holding his shoulder.

"No, it's just you."

"You're a devil!" Even though his comment was harsh, she knew he was joking from the expression on his face.

"Yes, but you love this devil." She smirked as she lifted herself out of his lap and offered a hand to help him up. He took it, and slung his other arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest.

"Yeah, you got that part right."


	6. Of Saying New Things

She enjoyed the sun, she had decided. Normally, she was one for cold weather. The heat bothered her to a great extent, and she could only stand it for so long. But her opinion had changed recently. She didn't know what had caused the changed, but she didn't mind. In fact, she welcomed it. The sun warmed her skin, creating a comfortable glow all across her body. She loved this feeling, this warmth that filled her. It was the best thing she had ever felt, and she didn't want it to end.

"Tasha..." Ah yes, the warmth had a voice. A voice that made the glow spread, and made her spine shiver, even though it wasn't cold. It was a voice that made her extremely happy, a voice she could listen to forever. A voice that made her ache, in both good and bad ways.

"C'mon Tasha. Time to get up." Ah, the voice spoke again. She could listen to it forever. A hand touched her shoulder, and shook it gently.

"Get up sleepy head." The voice murmured, and a pair of lips pressed against her's.

Finally, she opened her eyes, and faced the one that belonged to the voice. Yes, that's right. She loved this face. She loved this face with its brightest blue eyes, and lips that quirked up at the corners.

"Hi." Natasha smiled, cupping his face with her hands.

"Well hello there. Get enough rest?" His lips turned into a smirk, and his eyes twinkled with joy.

"I love you, you know." She leaned up and kissed him slowly, biting down gently on his bottom lip. As she pulled away, she noticed his eyes were wide.

"What?" Natasha asked, her eyebrow quirking up.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, moving a hand to her forehead as if to check her temperature.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

"You've never told me that you loved me before, that's all." He said, his voice quiet in astonishment.

"Well now I have." She smiled up at him.

"I love you, Natasha."


	7. Of an Author Concerning Updates

Okay, hey there! I'm Lexasaurusrex, or Dashboardjuliet if you're coming from tumblr. Here's the deal about updates. All of the chapters currently posted were written during school time, when I had motivation. I'll try and post three to four chapters once a week, since they are so short. I've also decided that one of those stories wilha have a topic that was requested to me by a reader! So on my tumblr, .com, or send me a pm here, you guys can submit topics that you would like to see Clint and Tasha deal with. I'll pick one of them and write a chapter using that. Okay, that is it, I just wanted to let you guys know what will be happening with this little collection here. Till the next time I feel the need to tell you guys something!


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